Police Seek Vandals Who Damaged Bainbridge High School Track

Vandals caused $20,000 in damage to the Bainbridge High School track over the weekend by dragging a piece of equipment across it. (TRISTAN BAURICK | FOR THE KITSAP SUN)

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND

Vandals dragged machinery across the newly installed Bainbridge High School track sometime over the weekend, causing $20,000 worth of damage, according to police and district officials.

Police went to the school Saturday and found that a motorized cart brought on site by contractors had been driven across the track with a piece of equipment dragging behind it.

The equipment was not on wheels and appears to have bounced along, causing dozens of divots ranging in size from six inches to a foot in diameter. The track surface, a sort of spongy rubber material, had not "set" and was not fully firm when the vandals struck.

The artificial turf field nearby did not appear to have been damaged. The stadium was encircled by an 8-foot-high chain-link fence covered in plastic sheeting. A second, 3-foot-high chain link fence was around the track.

School district spokeswoman Pam Keyes said the vandalism could delay the track's use into spring.

Head football coach Andy Grimm said the incident went "beyond a high school prank."

"We're very frustrated," Grimm said as BHS football players drilled on a grass field outside the stadium. "From a coach's perspective, we're looking at a beautiful facility, so it's hard to imagine a person doing something like this.

"As a parent of two kids in the district, I feel bad for the kids. I'm a taxpayer too, and the community put forth a lot of tax money for this."

It's the second such act of vandalism to the new track in the past month, according to Bainbridge police Lt. Sue Shultz.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Bainbridge Island Police Department at (206) 842-5211.